County honors fallen soldiers

The Lorain County 98 were barely into manhood when they were called upon to give the ultimate sacrifice in a war that tested the strength of even the most devoted patriots — the Vietnam War. They were sons and classmates, barely out of high school; young husbands and fathers, some who would never see their children. They were supposed to be the area’s next farmers and merchants, doctors and lawyers who would strengthen the foundation of their communities for another generation. Instead, their names ended up engraved on a long granite wall in Washington, a wall that honors the memory of American soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. The last name on the wall, the last official casualty of the war, is that of Richard Vandegeer, who spent his childhood in Sheffield. While we pause this Memorial Day weekend to honor and remember all of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for their country, we pay a special tribute to the Lorain County soldiers who are among the 58,000 American soldiers killed in Vietnam. Some of their stories are told in today’s edition. Beginning at 6 tonight, the names of all 98 will be read, one by one, in a six-hour vigil on North Lake Street next to the Amherst Police Station, the site of the Lorain County Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be dedicated at a ceremony at 11 a.m. June 23. “We’ve held this vigil for 20 years, but this will the first year for it to be held at the memorial site,” said Don Attie, a Vietnam veteran and member of the Lorain County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee, a band of volunteers who in the last five years raised nearly $200,000 to erect the memorial. “We will read every name every two hours until midnight,” Attie said. The names of the war’s dead are currently being carved in a 4.5-ton granite block that is shaped like Lorain County by Milano Monuments in Brook Park, Attie said. The memorial also features a 900-pound bronze flag that drapes over the stone and features an eagle. More than 600 family members and friends of the veterans have reserved seats for the ceremony, Attie said. The program will include a helicopter fly-in by former Army Capt. Joe Schmitt of Brownhelm Township, who will deliver an American flag to the memorial site. Schmitt served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966 and logged 1,200 combat hours. He was awarded 13 air medals and was shot down three times but never captured, Attie said. Charlie Sanchez, whose brother Angel Luis Sanchez was killed in action in Vietnam, said he was pleased that at long last his brother and others killed in the war will be honored with a local memorial. “A lot of these guys never got the support they deserved,” Sanchez said. “I’m very grateful for what they’re doing.” Reuben Ortiz Sr. also had a brother, Zeneido Ortiz Jr., who was killed in Vietnam. “It’s great that we can finally show people in Lorain County what happened,” Ortiz said. “It should have happened a long time ago.” Contact Bette Pearce at 329-7148 or bpearce@chroniclet.com.

Dedication for the Lorain County Vietnam Veterans Memorial will take place at 11 a.m. June 23 next to the Amherst Police Department, on South Street, Amherst. For more information, call Ed Brill at 988-4550.